Thoughts on Life, Love, Politics, Hypocrisy and Coming Out in Mid-Life

Friday, October 28, 2016

The GOP 's Brain Dead Zombies

For a political party that once prided itself as being thoughtful, respectful of knowledge and science, and tethered to objective reality, today's Republican Party has descended into something akin to a lunatic asylum or a crowd of zombies from the walking dead. Leading the way in this celebration of ignorance and bigotry are hypocrites like Paul Ryan, Jason Chaffetz, and a host of others. At the top of the party, is the narcissistic egomaniac named Donald Trump who would make P.T. Barnum blush when it comes to peddling the outlandish and untrue. Most frightening of all is that I see no way for the GOP to throw off the insanity and bigotry that now define it. At least not until the Christofascists, know nothings, and white supremacist are driven from the fold, and that simply is not going to happen. A column in Salon looks at this state of affairs. Here are excerpts:

Let’s congratulate Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT). He made news twice on
the same day. First there was his Wednesday announcement that, as Chairman of
the House Government Oversight Committee, he or someone on his staff has pulled
enough bullshit links about Hillary Clinton from right-wing websites to keep
them busyinvestigating her
administrationfor at
least two years and more likely for the length of however many terms she serves
as president.

Later Wednesday, Chaffetz
tweeted that even though just three weeks ago he pulled his endorsement of
Donald Trump over the latter’s infamous “grab ‘em by the pussy” comments, he is
still going tovote for the nominee.
And so Chaffetz becomes the latest member of the GOP’s “Vote for Him but
Don’t Support or Endorse Him” caucus, made up of Republican lawmakers whoprofess horrorthat their party nominated for
president a racist, misogynistic demagogue but will nonethelesscast their vote for himon November 8 because Hillary Clinton
is somehow worse.

It has become fashionable todeclare the Republican
Party deador at least
in a deep coma with little hope of recovery. The civil war now between
Trumpism, as represented by thewhite ethno-nationalistsbehind Trump’s campaign, and the
#NeverTrump crowd that includes thereformiconsand the “intellectual” wing of the
GOP, is at its roots a battle between two packs of hyenas over which one
gets to pick the corpse’s bones clean.

Chaffetz’s actions this week,
though, brought to mind another metaphor. The GOP is a zombie party, shambling
across the countryside, spreading terror and devouring any living creature it
comes across. There is no hope of reversing the condition. But unlike in, say,
“The Walking Dead” or a George Romero movie, you can’t kill it forever by
planting an ax in its head.

And unfortunately, because the
GOP zombie cannot be killed, we are going to be stuck working our lives around
it for the indefinite future.

Normally a major American political party functions as a
coalition of disparate interests, all united under one banner for the purpose
of achieving power and advancing interests. This has been true even in the
Republican Party despite its growing ever more conservative over the years and
driving its last liberal members out.

[T]he party has broken apart into warring factions.
The Trumpist wing has access to and control over much of the party’svaluable voter data. Some of the true believers in
conservatism as a political philosophy are talking aboutbreaking awaywith independent candidateEvan McMullinand
forming a new, true conservative party. Neo-conservatives like Bill Kristol
have not yet figured out what to do.

The problem, as Chaffetz’s
announcements this week show, is that despite all the divisions in the GOP,
despite it being at this point not much more than a bunch of mailing lists and
a scream reflex every time it hears the name “Clinton,” the party is still
going to hold a significant amount of power in American politics.

And what is it telling the voters it will use all
that power for? Non-stop investigations of the Clinton administration. Refusing
to vote on a new Supreme Court justice to replace Antonin Scalia. Probably some
Obamacare repeal votes and new efforts at suppressing the vote for minorities
that overwhelmingly support Democrats.

What the GOP will not be doing
is anything resembling governing. Like the zombie herds that are forever
chasing humans across the landscape of “The Walking Dead,” it will amble along
in a brainless rage, mindlessly attacking and attempting to devour any living
creature that crosses its path. It will have no purpose beyond that. Any member
of the party who has not become fully zombified will find himself chased down, bitten,
and reborn as a sentient corpse, wandering the land looking for a member of the
Clinton administration to subpoena.

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Out gay attorney in a committed relationship; formerly married and father of three wonderful children; sometime activist and political/news junkie; survived coming out in mid-life and hope to share my experiences and reflections with others.
In the career/professional realm, I am affiliated with Caplan & Associates PC where I practice in the areas of real estate, estate planning (Wills, Trusts, Advanced Medical Directives, Financial Powers of Attorney, Durable Medical Powers of Attorney); business law and commercial transactions; formation of corporations and limited liability companies and legal services to the gay, lesbian and transgender community, including birth certificate amendment.

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